We are highly honored and very pleased to have with us Dr. Lance Miller and his students from Central Michigan University who took the trouble of coming to our mosque to observe the way Muslims pray in congregation, and to discuss the topic of ‘Death and Afterlife’ from the Islamic perspective. It was in January of 2015 that some students of CMU had visited us to learn about a few aspects of ‘Death and Dying’ from the Islamic perspective. As far as I remember, there was a discussion on the concept of death in Islam and what Muslims do before, during, and after the death of a person. In today’s discussion, I have been asked to share some thoughts with you on the Islamic teachings on death and afterlife.
Death is a reality that awaits all human beings. Whether or not there will be a life after death, in one form or another is a question that has engaged the imagination of humans since earliest of times. The answers suggested have varied. Muslims believe in the resurrection when the body and the spirit will be reunited in the hereafter. God Almighty will judge all humans, and they will be rewarded or punished according to how they conducted themselves here on this earth. A verse in the Qur’an, which Muslims believe to be the verbatim word of God says, “He created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you is best in conduct. He is the Mighty, the Most Forgiving One.” (al-Mulk, 67:2)
Man is born to die and then to be resurrected. Resurrection or the final accounting is an idea that atheists and materialists have always found and still find very hard to accept. That is not to say that such people doubt the reality of death. Day in and day out, they witness their family members and associates dying one after another before their very own eyes. But they dissociate death with resurrection. To them, the phenomenon of death is the ultimate extinction of all beings. They deny resurrection; something that has been unambiguously assured by God Himself. A verse in the Qur’an says, “Every human being is bound to taste death: and you shall receive your rewards in full on the Day of Resurrection.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:185).
Belief in afterlife is common to many religions of the world. It exists in Judaism and Christianity with varying interpretations. Some image of afterlife also exists in Hinduism, Buddhism and among the peoples of the ancient world, such as the Zoroastrian, the Roman, the Egyptian, the Greek, the Babylonian, and the Chaldean.
What is the necessity and wisdom of the hereafter? Despite all the protests against the probability and the possibility of the hereafter, the Qur’an considers it crucial for multiple, fundamental reasons:
1. It is the Manifestation of Divine Justice. The quality of people’s performance must be judged. Also, fairness cannot be ensured merely on the basis of what transpires in this life. The imperfection of worldly justice makes the quest for another life, where justice will be rendered, necessary. It is also obvious that not all the good and evil deeds are subject to final accounting in this worldly life. Certain crimes and evils are so extensive in their effects that they cannot be adequately punished in this world. Similarly, certain virtues cannot be rewarded in a fitting and complete manner in this world. The basic idea underlying Islam’s teaching on the hereafter is that there will come a time when every human will squarely face his or her own doings and misdoings.
2. It is the exposition of human actions and aspirations. What were the intentions behind one’s actions in this worldly life? What were the means adopted to carry out these actions and for what ends? Philosophers often consider ‘happiness’ as our ultimate end to which all our actions are directed. It is considered as the complete good in itself. But happiness in this life cannot be our ultimate goal because life is momentary. It passes away. For happiness to be real, it must be constant. However great or extensive one’s happiness might be, it is exhaustible; death ends it all. So what makes the hereafter better than this worldly life is not only because of the quality of life therein, but also because of the permanence of such a life.
In order to give our life and efforts a purpose and indeed to make a good sense of this world, in its entirety, there must be an ultimate end to which human actions are directed; when the true meaning of our actions will be known and the true end of our aspirations will be disclosed. The hereafter fulfills this aspiration.
What are some of the benefits of belief in the hereafter? Belief in the hereafter has several benefits at different levels. There are individual benefits, social benefits and civilizational benefits.
At the individual level, it gives man a unique and valuable advantage with a greater choice that has an eternal implication. In other words, belief in the hereafter lets one realize that one’s eternal abode depends upon one’s course of action in this worldly life.
Belief in the hereafter also provides a psychological benefit to an individual. It prevents man from fearing the passing difficulties of life, makes him accept them with calmness and even transforms those difficulties into means of development and ascent toward the lofty goals of life.
A society composed of such individuals who believe in the hereafter and work for it has much to gain. It is obvious that almost in every society; there is a mixture of virtue and vice, right and wrong. Many right actions are not properly appreciated and many wrong deeds are not noticed. Belief in the hereafter has the primary place in preserving social security and preventing the spread of corruption, crime, and violation of law. It is a force capable of taming the rebellious desires of the soul. That is because whoever holds this belief will obey a series of ethical principles without hypocrisy and without being subject to external pressure.
Belief in the hereafter also has civilizational benefits. It is obvious that for the rise and growth of civilization, there must be optimum utilization of physical, cultural, spiritual, and human resources. However, the optimum utilization of man’s potentialities and natural resources is not sufficient to create a responsible civilization. Enamoured with his vast potentialities and tremendous material achievements, man can do many things, commendable and abominable – simply because he can do them. This attitude will lead to irresponsible subjugation of nature, amounting to unsustainable development.
However, belief in hereafter where everyone will be accountable for his deeds and misdeeds will instil in one the sense of responsibility, which is a condition of sustainable development. Man will consequently choose the right course of action, pursuing only that which should be pursued and not just whatever that can be pursued. Belief in the hereafter should be seen as a source of strength and not of weakness, for responsible individuals, societies and civilizations.
To conclude, we may ask “Is there anything to lose if one believes in the hereafter and works for it?” The answer is no! To invest one’s thoughts and actions in the hereafter means to live a purposeful and responsible life in this world and to prepare for one’s eternal felicity in the world to come.
The important lesson to be learned is to keep always in mind the reality of afterlife, the ultimate consequence of one’s actions and one’s responsibility toward God Almighty for what one does.
Brothers and sisters! Belief in the hereafter is not a fairy tale or a sort of ‘blind faith’. Rather, it is rational and necessary if only to make sense of the existence of this worldly life.
